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He’d always made me that way, except when he made me angry.
Which he had the ability of doing more than almost any man I’d known.
Suddenly, his expression changed to something dark and angry as he stormed in my direction, only taking the time to slide his weapon into his jacket.
“What the hell did you think you were doing? Huh? Somehow, you managed to bypass the security system. No one has ever done that before. Then you drove to a store out in the open and purchased groceries? Are you out of your mind? You could have been killed. Then I would have been the one to tell your brother what happened.” His tone wasn’t just accusatory. It was cold and heartless, admonishment for the number of rules I’d broken. His extreme anger broke the spell.
“I was making you dinner,” I snapped. “You had nothing in the house. I thought I’d say thank you for taking me in and helping me. I had no plans on leaving until I noticed the milk inside your bare refrigerator was dated three months ago. Three. Months. Then I thought, well, hey. Maybe he has something in the freezer. Ice cream from over a year ago and ice so frozen in a bag that it could be used to kill somebody. Let’s not talk about your pantry because I’d only eat what’s inside the boxes and cans if I enjoyed a dose of botulism. Since I figured you wouldn’t want a delivery driver to know where your oh-so secret hideaway is, I thought going to a grocery store far off the beaten path was my best choice unless we wanted to starve to death.”
The words were said with such venom I surprised myself. Then I recoiled as I was certain his eyes and pretty much the rest of him had just sparked a full-blown fire.
He moved closer and I shifted away, horrified that he was going to drag me over his lap for a sound round of spanking.
“Oh, yeah?” he finally asked and I was instantly confused. I was also fully aroused, which couldn’t happen.
“Yeah. I wanted to do something nice.”
Every emotion roared across his expression, his chest heaving. Then he slammed his hand against the wall, lowering his head until his face was inches from mine. More correctly, his lips were dangerously close to mine. I was instantly under the effect of feeling suffocated, uncertain I was even breathing normally.
Suddenly, he was very quiet, as if he wasn’t breathing at all. “You should have called.”
“I didn’t want to bother you.”
When he lifted his massive arm, so muscular his expensive suit failed to hide the definition, I was certain I’d let off a slight whimper. He acted as if he was going to stroke my face, dropping his head by another two inches.
I was overwhelmed by the level of heightened testosterone, the scent unlike anything I’d ever had the luxury of basking in. For a few seconds, we both remained motionless, the only sound that of our thudding hearts. As crazy as I knew it was, I longed for him to kiss me. Shivering, I resisted touching his chest, longing to feel his muscles. As much I wanted to, as dangerously close as his lips were to mine, I was no fool. He would never cross the line and it was best if I continued to dislike him.
Then why make him dinner? Why doll yourself up?
I wasn’t certain.
The tension was palpable. Then he fisted his hand, pulling away and even turning in the other direction.
“I’m providing you with a dedicated burner phone. You will keep it with you at all times. When I call, you will answer. When I tell you a time you will report in, you will do so. Period. I’ll get some additional food that we both can eat. However, I won’t take any additional infractions of rules, Madisen. The man you watched die was just found in his car, both torched in the desert. I assure you that the Torino family made certain it looked like an accident. That means they will come after you. You are the only link proving he was murdered.”
While he allowed the news to settle in, he glanced over his shoulder. “For the record. I don’t have a girlfriend.”
With that, he walked out without saying another word.
Yet his visceral look of longing remained in the forefront of my mind.
And it burned a hole deep within.
CHAPTER13
Viper
Wham!
The hard slam of my bedroom door was in hopes of preventing my anger and frustration from coming out in a more brutal manner. The woman had a distinct and very clear-cut way of getting under my skin that made me crazy.
And that dress. Lord God above, that dress.
It was the kind of dress meant for stripping off, just like her rounded curves were meant for a man’s hands. My hands. No one else’s. Fuck. What was I doing? What the hell was I thinking?
I was going to lose my mind because of her skimpy attire alone.
It was flaming red, hugging her voluptuous curves in all the right places. I hadn’t even paid that much attention to just how beautifully perfect her body was until laying my eyes on her minutes before. Just allowing myself to do so was out of character for me. I hadn’t so much as thought of any woman I’d protected, rescued, or saved from certain death as anything but a person needing help.
